Government and politics of Seattle

In this regard, it sits with a small set of similar U.S. cities (such as Madison, Wisconsin, Berkeley, California, and Cambridge and Boston in Massachusetts) where the dominant politics tend to range from center-left to social democratic.

The program has diversified the donor pool, allowed more candidates to run for office, and boosted political engagement among voucher users.

The Democrats hold majorities in both houses of the Washington State Legislature covering a significant portion of the city.

As with most U.S. cities, the county judicial system handles felony crimes — the Seattle Municipal Court deals with parking tickets, traffic infractions, and misdemeanors.

[10] Seattle has suffered two mass-murders in recent history: the 1983 Wah Mee massacre (13 people killed in the Wah Mee gambling club)[11] and the March 25, 2006 Capitol Hill massacre when 28-year-old Kyle Aaron Huff killed six at a rave afterparty.

[12] Later in 2006, an attempted spree killing by Naveed Afzal Haq left one dead at the Jewish Federation building.

Submitted by Californian Sarah Sterling-Franklin, it referred to the lush, thickly forested surroundings of Seattle that were the result of frequent rain.

[23] It has also been known as the "Portal to the Pacific", a phrase inscribed on the arches of the tunnel leading westward into the city from the Interstate 90 floating bridge over Lake Washington.